Future of the program

[J-Rod]

Of course we want UH to win. Like, right now. That said, even the most optimistic (or hard-headed?) UH/Chow fan has to acknowledge that things aren't going so well. Next May, Norm Chow might be entering the final year of his contract at 70 years old, and he won't be getting any younger. Barring a random jolt of success, this rough era will come to a close at the end of 2015 or 2016 at the latest.

What then? Surely June Jones' name will be thrown around as the next head coach. What can UH afford? What does UH need to afford?There are assistant coaches at P5 schools making $1.5 million. Assistant coaches! UH cannot keep paying the head coach 500K and expecting to get back to the Sugar Bowl.

I'm leaving this topic fairly open. Curious to hear what you all think...who should UH hire? Should we limit the search to guys with UH/Hawaii ties only (that didn't go so well recently)? Do we need to pay the coach at least $800 to even think we can demand 8+ wins a year?

Everyone wants Chow gone, we get that....but once that happens.....now what?

Post away...

[J-Rod]

My opinion...

There is no question that if UH has any aspirations to recapture the old days of winning consistently year in and year out, they need to fork over the money to coaching. We can't keep hoping June Jones will save us every time something goes wrong, and even he eventually left. The floor has to be $800K to even have a prayer IMO.

I also hope Matlin casts a wide net for this search. JJ was great, the Brennan era was awesome, but he is not the only man with Hawaii ties that knows football. Niumatalolo, Babers, etc. all have great knowledge and are worth a phone call at least. If they hire JJ, fine...I'm not against it. I just want to make sure we hear out all the options.

Frankly, I'd prefer we give others a long look. JJ provided some of the greatest moments in UH Athletics history, but his regime wasn't always glamorous (there were rough seasons) and he and his system struggled mightily towards the end at SMU. I'm just saying....some fans make like the Brennan years lasted from 1999-2007. They didn't. There were some bad bumps in the road. I sat through that 3-69 loss at BSU in 2004. Trust me, it wasn't all great during the JJ days. I fear if he is hired, some fans will expect the glory days to return...and I'm not sure if that's a realistic expectation. I'd rather hire a guy like Dino Babers with the knowledge that rebuilding this program will take a few years. I guarantee you, if JJ gets hired again....no such grace period will be given. Fans will want 9+ wins in 2016, and that's where tension could rise...

[madeinhawaii]

Regardless of how one feels about June Jones, if he really wants to come back and is willing to negotiate for a small paycheck with performance bonuses, he will probably be a shoo-in. You cannot turn your back to your school's most winningest coach if he still young enough to coach. Hiring Chow put that age limit way up there, to boot.

[J-Rod]

Regardless of how one feels about June Jones, if he really wants to come back and is willing to negotiate for a small paycheck with performance bonuses, he will probably be a shoo-in. You cannot turn your back to your school's most winningest coach if he still young enough to coach. Hiring Chow put that age limit way up there, to boot.

June would be 63 when he takes over, two years younger than when Chow took over.

[808Hawaii]

Reaching the Sugar Bowl shouldn't be our goal. We should be paying our coaches equivalent to what Pac12 coaches are getting. They are not our competition. Contending for the Mountain West Conference, West Division championship should be. We cannot afford the Kevin Gilbrides unless they are willing to accept way less than what they can get elsewhere. If JJ is willing to accept a salary of something like $750K, loaded with all kinds of incentives, perhaps related to the deficit, that might be feasible.

[808Hawaii]

I fear if he is hired, some fans will expect the glory days to return...and I'm not sure if that's a realistic expectation. I'd rather hire a guy like Dino Babers with the knowledge that rebuilding this program will take a few years. I guarantee you, if JJ gets hired again....no such grace period will be given. Fans will want 9+ wins in 2016, and that's where tension could rise...

The football team needs a coach that will rejuvenate the fan base. Someone like JJ, Rolo, Babers, Niumatalolo would do that. Even if it's false hope, there would be hope and an increase in revenue. Or at the very least, the deficit wouldn't continue to grow at its present rate.

[808Hawaii]

Regardless of how one feels about June Jones, if he really wants to come back and is willing to negotiate for a small paycheck with performance bonuses, he will probably be a shoo-in. You cannot turn your back to your school's most winningest coach if he still young enough to coach. Hiring Chow put that age limit way up there, to boot.

June would be 63 when he takes over, two years younger than when Chow took over.

Hire JJ and groom Rolo to take over in three to five years.

[415hawaiiboy]

We need to find an alternative to PPV. I believe the future of the program is living on the past; meaning, we are monetizing our older, loyal fanbase with PPV and almost completely shutting out the younger generation who don't really pay for things like PPV (or if they do, they pay very little). The name of the game is to get on TV and grow a following.

We are in the MWC where we forego our share of the media money (and bonuses) to milk our fanbase. On paper, looks like a good/decent trade-off. In reality, many of my friends aged 35 and younger do not have a clue what's going on. Do they read the StarAdvertiser about the UH game, probably not because that also has a pay-wall. The point is, UH football and sports in general are becoming more and more inaccessable to the everyday fan. That in the long term, and especially in a football performance down-cycle, spells bad news bears.

To me, this is the root of the problem. The utter lack of accessibility to the future underwriters of UH sports, in particular football. At the very least, road games should be free on TV with commercials. Getting our share of the MWC TV revenue and increasing TV exposure in Hawaii is more important than fighting for reduction in travel subsidies. If we can get that too, great.

[808Hawaii]

The younger fans can't even watch it on TV. They should be the future fans of the program.

[Maui Boy in Alaska]

I really like the idea of Babers being our future coach. I believe he could turn the program around and make UH a winner as well as exciting to watch. However, I also don't see him staying longer than 3-4 years. He could be an assistance coach at a power 5 school making a lot more than he is making right now. But he wants to be a head coach at a power 5 school and he is working his way up to that goal. If he becomes UH head coach in the future, I hope UH follows CST lead and has a expensive buyout for him, because he will be a head coach in a Power 5 conference in the future. Now, some might not like the idea of a coach only staying 2-3 years, but given the coaching salary difference between UH and the power 5 conferences, that is what UH might have to except in order to have a great head coach. It worked out great for CST, coach only stayed 3 years, but took the team to 2 bowl games, got fans excited again, and his buyout gave CST a nice payday.

[Maui Boy in Alaska]

The other possibility for the future I like is the idea of Rolo as our head coach with JJ as the OC. I will always love JJ for what he did at UH, but his time has come and gone and I don't think he has the passion to be a head coach anymore. Plus JJ at both at UH and SMU showed he was just not a good recruiter. Now while he might not still have the passion and energy to be the head coach, just being OC might be a good fit for JJ at this point for him.

Now Rolo, I feel would bring energy, excitement, and he has shown he is willing to go out a recruit. Now as a new head coach, there would have to be some adjust and learning time for Rolo and he would have to give up some control of the offense. But with JJ as OC, I believe Rolo would feel more comfortable that the offense would still be doing the things he wants. Plus he would have a built in mentor with JJ on staff.

[madeinhawaii]

The other possibility for the future I like is the idea of Rolo as our head coach with JJ as the OC. I will always love JJ for what he did at UH, but his time has come and gone and I don't think he has the passion to be a head coach anymore. Plus JJ at both at UH and SMU showed he was just not a good recruiter. Now while he might not still have the passion and energy to be the head coach, just being OC might be a good fit for JJ at this point for him.

Now Rolo, I feel would bring energy, excitement, and he has shown he is willing to go out a recruit. Now as a new head coach, there would have to be some adjust and learning time for Rolo and he would have to give up some control of the offense. But with JJ as OC, I believe Rolo would feel more comfortable that the offense would still be doing the things he wants. Plus he would have a built in mentor with JJ on staff.

In the end, it will be about $$$. JJ socked away a lot of kala during the past few years. So, he can afford to and probably has the willingness to take a pittance the first year or two until attendance is up and can put more of the entire football salary package towards the assistant coaches. Rolo? Not too much. What other coach would be willing to do that?

[808Hawaii]

I would definitely welcome back JJ.

[poidog]

I don't give a crap about who is coach anymore. these past 3+ seasons have killed the winning spirit in me. The thing I want most is for the TV contract to be taken away from OC16 and given to KGMB/Hawaii News Now.

[808Hawaii]

It's impossible to remain positive. It's even hard to root for the UHAD. They have alienated the fan base. Not only do I not care what happens with the Gib Arnold case, I find myself lean on Gib's side. If Gib gets the $700K or whatever, good for him. And good for the UHAD.